When we return to our hometown after having been gone for a couple of years, we would hope for a pleasant greeting from our neighbors. Jesus would have hoped for the same, as well. As we begin chapter 6 in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus has come to Nazareth, the village He grew up and lived in until He began His ministry a couple of years prior. Here Jesus was hoping to bring His message of salvation as He had elsewhere in Galilee.
The reception Jesus received was not the kind one would have wished for. Jesus started the Sabbath day off by going to the synagogue for the worship service. The custom in the synagogues was frequently to let visitors to speak, and since Jesus had been away awhile, He got up to teach from the Scriptures (vs 2). As Jesus began to comment on the passages He had just read, He spoke as no one else could. Jesus is the Son of God, the Divine Author of the Scriptures, and the commentary He would give would be from the very One who wrote it. Instead of gratefully receiving His message, the people went on the attack. His neighbors saw Jesus as only the former local carpenter, no better than they were. Who was He to “preach” to them? They were offended that other villages were impressed by Jesus. Instead of allowing their astonishment at His words to lead to belief as those in Capernaum had, the Nazarenes let it lead to skepticism and a critical attitude.
The folks in Nazareth looked at Jesus as just another local boy. He had only a limited education, not a wall of framed diplomas from various universities. Nor did He hold an officially sanctioned religious position. Then the attacks started to become more personal - “son of Mary”. Usually someone was called the son of his father, even if he was dead. These people were referencing rumors about Jesus’s birth, the rumors that He was illegitimate, and father was unknown.
The people’s pride and unbelief kept Jesus from performing any miracles in Nazareth (vs 5). They refused to accept His message or believe He was from God. It was not that Jesus’s actual power was somehow lessened because of this unbelief. They had steadfast unbelief and hardened hearts. God doesn’t show partiality. Jesus came to Nazareth to do what He had done elsewhere. However, they were offended and rejected Him. Not many in town would have bothered to come to Jesus for healing. Miracles belong among those who are ready to believe.
A worker for God is never honored in his hometown (vs 4). Some believers who, before they came to Christ, lived a wild or disreputable life, and when they return home find their new message is not accepted. Jesus never did anything wrong in His youth, and He still wasn’t accepted. We don’t need to be respected or honored for God to use us. Nor do we need fancy credentials, either. The Nazarenes scorned Jesus for being a common laborer, not qualified to teach them. Don’t let rejection keep us from serving God.
There is another important lesson to learn from this Scripture passage. Be careful not to have a spirit of unbelief, as that limits what God can and will do. Unbelief stops the power of God. A doubter usually is seeking the truth, and open and willing to accept it. An unbeliever, however does not believe, is not open to look, and is already convinced to the contrary. God can work with a doubter, if he is honestly seeking truth, but not one steadfast in his unbelief. Nazareth was in unbelief, even Jesus’s own family. At this time His siblings (vs 3) did not believe. After the resurrection, His brothers, James and Judas (Jude), came to faith, and even wrote two books included in the Bible. No record is ever given of Jesus’s other siblings getting saved. Be careful that you do not have a spirit of unbelief.
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